• Tuition Reimbursement for Certificated and Non-Certificated Staff Members
• Act 48 Requirements for Certificated Staff Members
• Chapter 14 Requirements for Special Education Instructional Support Staff Members
• Certification through the State of Pennsylvania for Certificated Staff Members

Act 48 Requirements

Act 48 Questions and Answers

 The following document describes the WSSD guidelines for certificated staff members earning Act 48 hours.

Important Points Regarding Act 48 Compliance:

1. Act 48 credits earned through college coursework must be submitted to PDE by the awarding college or university. The school district may not award Act 48 credit for college coursework. Please contact your college or university's transcript office and instruct them to forward your transcripts to:

2. When attending school-based or district-level meetings, workshops, or other Act 48-eligible events, be sure to sign the Act 48 sign-in sheets provided by the event facilitator. These sign-in sheets are used to enter/upload Act 48 credits for event participants. Please note that some school-based and district-level meetings are not Act 48-eligible. Only those events that deal directly with issues related to curriculum, instruction, and student achievement are Act-48 eligible.

3. The Solo Act 48 Reporting Form should be used to submit Act 48 hours associated with any of the following. Completed forms should be submitted to Debbie Elias in the Training and Learning Office.

• supervising a student teacher or intern
• serving as a teacher mentor
• participating an off-campus event offered by a provider who gave you an attendance certificate but did NOT enter/upload the Act 48 hours for you
• you have arranged with your principal or curriculum director to individually complete certain Act 48-eligible work

Solo Act 48 Reporting Form

Chapter 14 Requirements

Effective July 1, 2008, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education added new requirements for the training and education of paraprofessionals who support students receiving special education services. These regulations are as follows:

1. Special education instructional support staff must meet one of the following qualifications, effective July 1, 2010:

• Have completed at least two years of post-secondary study,
• Possess an associates degree or higher, or
• Meet a rigorous standard of quality as documented through a state or local assessment.

Beginning with the 2010-2011 year, the District will implement a local assessment for all special education instructional support staff who do not meet the first two criteria.

2. Effective July 1, 2008, the following requirements for continuing staff development for paraprofessionals will be in effect.

• All instructional support staff will attend 20 hours of staff development activities related to their assignment each year
• All personal care assistants providing one-to-one support and assistance will attend 20 hours of staff development activities related to their assignment each year.